The water continued dripping from the ceiling. Somebody must have been taking a shower and forgot to switch on the pump. The candle was flickering when he moved a bit further towards me.

>> I am the end.<<

I nodded slightly.

>> I came straight from the swamplands, so I’m not precisely prepared for this.<<

I flinched a smile >> Well, nobody expected something like that to happen, so don’t worry. We can only hope to do our best<< I leaned back and took a deep breath, for a second enjoying the smell of freshly brewed coffee from the insulated mug in my hand. I could see that his eyes tried to adjust to the dim light that left my face in the dark.

The comforting silence was interrupted by a little cough before my partner in crime addressed the newly arrived >>Welcome, since we haven’t met … They call me Chestnut and I was raised in the Hill of Thorns.<<